Toy construction.



L. A. MANWARING.

TOY CONSTRUCTION.

APPLICATION FILED ocT. I` 191s.

1,298,240. v Patented Mar. 25,1919.

LEVERETT .AUGUSTINE MANW ARIN' G, OF MIDDLETOWN, CONNECTICUT.

TOY CONSTRUCTION.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 25, 1919.

Application led October 1, 1918. Serial No. 256,384.

To all 'whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, Liwrliznr'r AUGUSTINE MANWARING, a citizen of theUnited States, residing at Middletown, in the county of Middlesex andState of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Toy Construction, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in toy construction, havingreference to pins shaped and slotted in peculiar form so as to besuitable for being assembled in various ways for building skeleton andimaginative structures of different kinds, such as houses, bridges,boats, windmills, and the like, and the object of my improvement is toprovide a plurality of pins of any number desired that are composed of avery few forms or styles, each individual pin being a` duplicate of oneof the said forms or styles, and such forms or styles being adapted foruse in such building or assembling by small children.

In the accompanying drawing Figure 1 is a front elevation of a structure'built of a set of building pins according to my invention.

Fig. 2 is a bottom view of the structure shown in Fig. 1. l

Fig. 3 is a sectional View on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1, being on anenlarged scale and in part broken away.

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the member of my improved set of pinshaving a wedge -form at each end.

Fig. 5 is a. plan view of the same.

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the member having the wedge form at oneend and having at the other end two cross slots, one at right angles tothe other, and extending an appreciable distance inwardly from the end.

Fig. 7 is a plan view of the same.

Fig. 8 is a plan view of the member having at both ends the slottedstructure as described for the other end of the pin shown in Fig. 6 andFig. 7.

The building pins that are used to compose a complete set according tomy invention are made in three different forms or styles, as shown,there being a plurality of pins of each form, the number used of eachform being varied according to the form of structure that is made byassembling the pins, as may suit the fancy of the user. All of the threeforms I find to be necessary generally for building a structure that hasan appreciable number of parts, and I find that for the most part theproportion for the different forms used would run about three individualpins of the double squared ended and slotted form shown in Fig. 8 andthree dozen of the form shown in Figs. 6 and 7, having the wedge at oneend and the square and slotted end at the othcre end to one dozen pinsof the form shown in Figs. 4 and 5, having the Wedge at each end.

All of the three forms, as shown, have a square form of cross section atthe middle, and this form of cross section is continued uniformly fromthe middle to the end in each case having the butt end square, with theslotted end structure, as will be described, and which corresponds toone of the forms for the end structure.

The square and slotted end structure mentioned, and which may bedesignated generally by the character 10, is provided at the two ends ofthe pin 11 shown in lFig. 8, and which pin may be designated brieiiy asthe double-clamp pin, and the said structure is provided at one end ofthe pin 12 shown in Figs. 6 and 7.

The other end of the said pin 12 shown in Figs. 6 and 7 has a structurein the form of a wedge, such structure being designated generally by thecharacter 13, and the said pin 12 may be conveniently designated as theclamp-wedge pin.

The pin 14, shown in Figs. 4 and 5, has the wedge form of structure,designated as 13, at both ends, and the said pin 14 may be referred toas the double-wedge pin.

The wedge form of structure or wedge 13 is formed from material ofsquare form of cross section by slabbing oil' the two sides so that thetip edge 15 will be in an axial plane and at right angled positionrelatively to the top and bottom faces 16.

The square and slotted end structure 10 is formed from material ofsquare cross section by cutting ofi' the butt end 17 at right angles tothe axis and then slotting the material from the said butt end 17inwardly along two axial planes at right angles, one to the other, andeach plane being individually at right angles to the corresponding sidefaces, the said slots being designated individually by the character 18.The said slots 18 extend an appreciable distance inwardly along the pinin each case, and extend across the material, and thereby serve todivide the end structure into four separate, parallel separate members19, each of square cross section, and arranged in pairs, and suitablefor cooperating as clamping members.

Thus on each side face there is a pair of clamping members 19 separatedby the slotV 18, suitable for receiving and clamping the -end portion 15of the wedge 13 from a lateral direction, and at the ends the tip endportion l5 of the wedge 13 may be entered either in thervertical or thehorizontal position in one or the other of the slots 18 with the pins inY longitudinal alinement.

' v The parts are constructed andarranged so that two wedges 13 can beentered into opposite sides of a slot 18 and held in position by theAclamping members without having the two opposed tipy ends 15 meet andinterfere Vone with the other.

The manner of use of the pins described is manifold, the structure shownin |Fig. 1 being one of many, so that a detailed description of the saidstructure is not necessary fortheV each end being of square crosssection and` provided with two cross slots that extend inwardly from thebutt end, the `two slots being Y positioned at right angles, one to theother, a second pin having one end similar to the two ends of the firstmentioned pin and having the other end of wedge form, and a third -f pinbeing similar in formation at the two ends, and such formation being ofwedge form.

LEVERETT AUGUSTIN MANWARING.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressingthe "Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C.

